Taekwondo Selsey

As Taekwondo has quite high physical demands, it's perhaps more suitable for the younger generation in Selsey. That's not to say that elderly people cannot be involved in this popular activity, but merely that there could be other martial arts that are more appropriate for the less agile of us. Tai Chi is the perfect example.

Taekwondo started in Korea in 1945. A group of Korean martial arts fanatics in Seoul established some new schools called "kwans", where they practiced a combination of martial arts techniques. Kicking manoeuvres, especially rapid kicking methods, jumping/spinning kicks and head kicks are the main emphasis of Taekwondo, as it eventually became known.

Nowadays an Olympic sport, Taekwondo has over 60 million followers all around the world, and whilst you might not have any aspirations to be an Olympic Games sportsman, you're still able to enroll in a Taekwondo club or class to master what will no doubt prove to be a fulfilling and intriguing pastime.

It seems that the most appealing aspect of Taekwondo is self-defence. And when you consider the high levels of violence in town and city centres these days, this is hardly surprising. In fact one of the key principles of Taekwondo is learning to defend yourself whilst exercising self-restraint and a respect for others.

While its nice to know that you are able to defend yourself any time you need to, it is hoped that you never need to test this outside of your local Taekwondo club environment.

Your First Taekwondo Lesson

If Taekwondo isn't something that you have ever had a go at previously, you will probably be wondering what you should be expecting from your very first lesson should you decide to sign up. Different Taekwondo schools in Selsey have different thoughts on this but in brief; you will participate in a 15-20 minute warm-up, you'll do a certain amount of technical training, you'll learn some forms, you are going to practice sparring methods and finally you'll warm-down to help your body get back into a relaxed state once again.

Any person wishing to join a Taekwondo club in Selsey must also become a member of British Taekwondo which is the official governing body of the sport in Great Britain. You will be able to find out about first aid, establishing a new Taekwondo club, coaching courses, safeguarding and equality, clubs and members, health and safety, coaches and competition referees, news, events, and more on British Taekwondo's website, and find out the latest news stories on their Facebook or Twitter page.

Taekwondo Belts (Rank)

The ranking and belt structure can get quite bewildering in Taekwondo because there isn't any recognised arrangement across the various Taekwondo disciplines. Likenesses do exist though, and normally there are two separate belt groupings, signified as "juniors" (colours) and "seniors" (black dans). The number of ranks in the junior group varies through the disciplines but is usually somewhere between 8 and 12 belts, whilst the senior group generally has nine belts or dans.

In the UK Taekwondo has a set of ranks (belts) which are referred to as "Kup", these ranks range from Tenth (lowest) to First (highest). As with most of the martial arts, the Taekwondo belt order is denoted by a number of different colours, so that the ranks are easily recognised. These colours are white, yellow, green, blue and red, with transitional belts with stripes in-between, namely - white with a yellow stripe, yellow with a green stripe, green with a blue stripe, blue with a red stripe and red with a black stripe. The 10th Kup (White Belt) is what Taekwondo beginners in Selsey will start out with, they can then proceed through the coloured belts, eventually attaining the Red Belt With a Black Stripe (1st Kup), which will take approximately three to four years of dedicated training.

After this has been completed, Taekwondo trainees in Selsey are considered to be "black belt candidates" which requires them to proceed through another nine ranks (Dans) until they achieve the ultimate distinction of "Black Belt". Therefore, Junior, Senior and Black Belt are the 3 principal groups in the Taekwondo belt order in the UK. The Taekwondo Belts in the Junior division are; 10th (White), 9th (White With Yellow Stripe), 8th (Yellow), and 7th (Yellow With Green Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Senior group comprise; 6th (Green), 5th (Green With Blue Stripe), 4th (Blue), 3rd ( Blue With Red Stripe), 2nd (Red), and 1st (Red With Black Stripe). The Taekwondo Belts in the Black group go from 1st to 9th Dan, a qualification process that will take many years.

Beginners Taekwondo Selsey

Even the very best exponents of Taekwondo in Selsey began their journey as rookies, so it's no shame to be a total beginner at this sport, or for that matter any other activity. The objective of a Taekwondo beginners class is to teach just a few basics, improve confidence and develop a solid base moving forward. Most important of all is that it should be fun, trainees having a great time will learn faster and be better engaged.

Taekwondo Forms (Poomse)

Forms are a key part of Taekwondo and are essential if you are to excel at this fascinating martial art. A few basic Taekwondo forms need to be grasped from the beginning and more elaborate forms have to be perfected in order to move through the various levels. A Taekwondo form is categorized by a number of points such as stance, technique and direction.

Taekwondo Kicks

There are loads of different kicking moves that are used in Taekwondo. Here are a few of the most widely known: Whip or Hook Kick, Crescent Kick, Back Kick, Side Kick, Roundhouse Kick, Axe Kick, Front Kick, Push Kick. Blocks: To stop and deflect an inbound Taekwondo attack, "blocks" (called Makgi) are used. They are held in various positions and enlist the hand with different parts of the arm. Each and every block can be coupled with a punch or kick to establish a counter-attack, and each is appropriate for a specific attack. The main Taekwondo blocks include: Rising Block, Single Forearm Block, Knife Hand Block, Double Forearm Block, Double Knife Hand Block, Nine Block, Upper Block, Palm Block and Low Block.

Safety Equipment

British Taekwondo tournaments call for specific safety gear to be worn to safeguard contenders from getting injured due to the powerful kicks that occur. This safety gear includes: a red/blue head guard, hand protectors, shin pads, forearm guards, a groin guard, a red or blue trunk guard (hogu) and a gum shield.

The Many Benefits of Taekwondo

There are needless to say, quite a few benefits to be had from participating in Taekwondo, and the following are just a few that may be tempting for you: Teach you self-defence by helping you to recognize instances in which self-defence may be needed, and empowering you to control these kinds of scenarios in your favour, Lower stress and anxiety using advanced breath control, Empower your body and mind by way of increased physical coordination and mental discipline, Enhance self-esteem by heightening your physical and mental powers, Build up confidence by inspiring you to take control of your life and succeed, Develop self-discipline by comprehensively schooling your body and mind in the techniques and principles of Taekwondo, Increase agility, stamina and flexibility by way of strenuous cardiovascular effort.

In Conclusion

So, what are you looking to get from doing Taekwondo? Well, that's a great question, and the answer to that will be different for individual people. The majority of participants will just look to improve their levels of fitness, gain more confidence and meet new people. We're not all going to reach the dizzy heights of Jade Jones or Lutalo Muhammad, although maybe you will, who knows? 👊